Rocklobster
Master Chef
My sister gave me a Mini Chief smoker she never used. I had some ribs in it a while ago and now they are wrapped on the bbq at 225....anyhoo, I've never used one of these Mini Chiefs and soon discovered that they don't reach a very high temp(around 165) and are really just designed to impart smoke flavor to your meats, cheeses, etc....my question is this, how safe would it be to leave your meat for 2 or 3 hours at that that low temp? As a long time cook, I would be a bit leery, but does the smoke add extra prevention against bacteria build up? I'm wondering if 2 or 3 hours at 165ish is enough time to create dangerous levels of bacteria, or once it gets exposed to 225 or higher for a few more hours, that will take care of any potential problems. Just wondering....